New drugs and imaging tools targeting the front part of the androgen receptor for prostate cancer
Official title: Structure, function, and application of novel antagonists of the intrinsically disordered androgen receptor amino-terminal domain as imaging agents and therapeutics
Funded at Provincial Health Services Authority · NIH-11131225 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Developing medicines and imaging agents that target a shared part of the androgen receptor to help men with advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to standard hormone treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Provincial Health Services Authority NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Vancouver, Canada) |
| Project start | July 13, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $445,892 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA255044-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11131225 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, especially those whose disease progressed on AR ligand-binding domain inhibitors like enzalutamide or abiraterone, would be the main candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with early-stage prostate cancer controlled by standard treatment, tumors not driven by androgen receptor signaling, or those unable to travel to trial sites are unlikely to benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers are creating small molecules that bind the androgen receptor's N-terminal domain (NTD), a region common to both full-length and truncated variant receptors that drive resistant prostate cancer. They plan to use these molecules as imaging agents to identify metastatic lesions expressing resistant AR splice variants and as therapeutics to block those receptors' activity. Work will start with laboratory and preclinical testing and aim to advance the most promising agents toward clinical use. The project focuses on finding and treating metastases that no longer respond to current AR-targeting drugs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide doctors with imaging to find drug-resistant metastases and new treatments that block both normal and variant androgen receptors to better control advanced prostate cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Compounds that target the AR NTD have shown promising effects in laboratory studies and early-phase work but remain experimental and are not yet proven in large clinical trials.
Where this research is happening
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Provincial Health Services Authority
Vancouver, Canada Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sadar, Marianne D — Provincial Health Services Authority
- Study coordinator: Sadar, Marianne D
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.